New York’s Kids Face Public Health, Poverty, Racial Inequity Crises
Citizens’ Committee for Children of New York (CCC) released an original analysis of the obstacles facing children and families in the state. The study examined data across six metrics of health and well-being, including economic security, housing, health, education, youth, and family and community. Researchers stressed that the alarming rates of poverty, housing insecurity, and health risks were in place even before the pandemic, which has only exacerbated these factors. The analysis showed that nearly 840,000 children live below the federal poverty level in New York and close to 920,000 New York households are “severely rent burdened.” The statewide rate of uninsured children averages 2.4 percent, but in some counties, the rate jumps to 37.9 percent. Researchers suggest childcare subsidies, rent subsidies, expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit, and other policy measures that could help reduce the burden on New York families.